The origin of PFAs for use in various industries and products dates back to the 1940s. PFAs are highly resistant to grease, oil, high temperatures, and water, making them a viable substance for ...

Fluorochemicals have raised global concern owing to their ubiquitous occurrence and the recalcitrance imparted by C−F bonds. Defluorination is challenging but imperative to address the pollution ...

Fluoroarene (FA) derivatives are persistent pollutants in wastewater than can cause ecological risk. The cleavage of C-F bonds and mineralization of intermediates are two challenges for elimination of ...

Engineers now report selective breakdown of a particularly stubborn class of PFAS called fluorinated carboxylic acids (FCAs) by common microorganisms. Under anaerobic conditions, a carbon-carbon ...

Surface-engineered zinc oxide nanocrystals, capped with specific organic ligands, enable efficient breakdown of persistent perfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) under mild near-UV light. This innovative, ...

An environmental engineering team has discovered that specific bacterial species can cleave the strong fluorine-to-carbon bond certain kinds of 'forever chemical' water pollutants, offering promise ...

A magnesium complex can remove fluorine atoms from solid microparticles of polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) at room temperature, and then donate the fluorine atoms to other compounds (J. Am. Chem. Soc.

Researchers have engineered a light-powered photocatalytic material that can remove perfluorooctanesulfonic acid (PFOS) and drive substantial defluorination under optimized laboratory conditions. The ...

An illustration of microbes chowing down on tasty PFAS molecules. Credit: Rick Smith For 3 decades starting in the 1940s, General Electric dumped solvents from its manufacturing facilities into New ...

Polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) is a synthetic fluorine-based polymer with a wide range of applications, including non-stick cookware production and electrical and optical fiber cable coating, owing to ...

A room-temperature method to decompose perfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) using visible LED light offers a promising solution for sustainable fluorine recycling and PFAS treatment. Researchers at ...